MLB News

Two-sport stars face national signing day

Some top high school football prospects also might have futures on the baseball diamond

By
Andrew SimonMLB.com

Today is national signing day for high school football prospects, who will officially commit to universities by inking national letters of intent. It's a day that also has ramifications in the baseball world.

In some cases, a player might be confronting a choice between the two sports. In others, he might be planning to stick with both for the time being. Either way, a college selection certainly can impact the path of a baseball career.

Today is national signing day for high school football prospects, who will officially commit to universities by inking national letters of intent. It's a day that also has ramifications in the baseball world.

In some cases, a player might be confronting a choice between the two sports. In others, he might be planning to stick with both for the time being. Either way, a college selection certainly can impact the path of a baseball career.

With that in mind, here is a look at some baseball prospects who might have a future in either sport.

• One prominent prospect who won't be signing a letter of intent today is Brandon McIlwain, arguably the best two-sport athlete in this year's class. Back in December, McIlwain announced he is heading to the University of South Carolina -- where he will enroll early -- and plans to play both sports. In doing so, he will bypass the 2016 MLB Draft.

McIlwain ranks 118th on ESPN's list of the top 300 football prospects in the class of 2016. The 6-foot-1, 204-pound dual-threat quarterback out of Newtown, Pa., narrowly missed out on MLBPipeline.com's Top 50 Draft Prospects list, which was released in early December.

• A.J. Brown, from Starkville, Miss., ranks 66th on ESPN's list and seventh among wide receivers. He has yet to commit to a program but has numerous offers, including from defending national champion Alabama. A center fielder on the diamond, Brown became the second player, after Kyler Murray, to ever participate in Under Armour All-America games for both football and baseball.

• Thomas Jones already made a verbal commitment to play baseball at powerhouse Vanderbilt and also has an offer to play on the gridiron for the Commodores. Ranked by ESPN as the 27th-best safety in this year's class, the Laurens, S.C., native also has received football offers from the likes of Notre Dame, South Carolina, North Carolina, Duke and Georgia Tech. He projects to go somewhere between the 10th-15th round in the upcoming MLB Draft.

• Tre Turner -- not to be confused with Nationals shortstop prospect Trea Turner -- committed to Arizona State last June and plans to play both baseball and football for the Sun Devils. The New Orleans product, whom ESPN ranks 25th among running backs, chose Arizona State over a dozen other football offers.

• Taylor Trammell, out of Powder Springs, Ga., already committed to Georgia Tech to play baseball but told The Marietta Daily Journal there is a chance he will end up a two-sport athlete there. A left-handed outfielder, Trammell made it to last year's Under Armour All-America Game and could be selected as high as about the fifth round in the 2016 Draft.